Jury Finds District Man Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed with a Firearm of 22-Year-Old in Southeast Washington D.C.

            WASHINGTON – A Superior Court jury found Bernard Matthews, 45, of Washington, D.C., guilty of first-degree murder while armed, for shooting and killing Diamonte Green in February 2021 in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Matthews was also found guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a license. The verdict was returned on August 12, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sentencing is scheduled for November 8, 2024. Matthews faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, around mid-afternoon, on February 16, 2021, Matthews walked several blocks and sought out the victim, 22-year-old Diamonte Green, who was threatening the defendant’s son via Instagram. The defendant shot the unarmed victim eight times inside an apartment building entry way at 33^rd and C Street SE, D.C., killing him.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            This case was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Coronado and Kathleen Gibbons.